gripe geripe gripe--same old lament heard over and over no matter which party is in power or who is in congress...if you vote, you are a citizen. If you do not like things, vote for change. You can write your congress people, write newspapers, go to demonsrations, and on and on...try that in a lot of other countries and you will soon see if you are or are not citizens.

we are all slaves. we earn money which is then taxed, feed, surcharged, adjusted, re-assessed, taxed again and then cut-back so that we have bearely enough to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves and our kids...

...while idiots are filmed making comments after the fact about what they think happened to all our money from the comfort of a tv studio.

get a grip people.

the political system, like the judicial system and the exectutive branch, is designed for the fun and profit of a small group of people.

and we ain`t it.

there are plenty of other games to play, but power and control isn`t one of them.

we could run for office though, if we could live with ourselves...and, you know, make a difference.

When you ask the wrong person, don't be surprised when you get the wrong answer.

Rights are not intended to be a mans for inflicting our will on other people. Rights are specific protections under the law.

My right to freedom of speech does not inflict anything on anybody. My right to carry a gun does not inflict anything on anybody. If I have to go to court to enforce my rights, they are still my rights. The fact that a state trooper may wish to abuse my rights does not mean that I don't have them; it means that he is over stepping his authority and should be taken down several notches.

I had not heard this sort of lamenting about lost right before Obama got into office. Does this mean you felt a full citizen when GOP in power? If so, then vote them back in. And demonstrations? don't be intimidated! From what I have seen there are a lot more meanies breaking up health care discussion from those opposed than from those liberals who want a change.

in sum: you do not change things with simply chewing your liver online.

Any number of people who have been falsely arrested by overstepping cops have been hauled into court only to have their cases dismissed by the judge. That is going to court to have your rights enforced. It is not a pleasant thing to have to do, but it works. And no, that is not depriving anyone else of their rights at all. With any luck, however, you may get to sue the cop which could be fun.

There is no right not to hear an annoying point of view. (You are in Canada, as I recall, aren't you? Perhaps there is such in Canada, but certainly not in the US.)

Alistair, you would make a very good follower. You clearly believe in following orders, doing what you are told, and not questioning authority at all. The American Revolution would have never gotten off the ground with men like you.